Elections not seen affecting charitable giving

October 30, 2008

Despite concerns that donations to presidential campaigns might take a bite out of charitable giving, more than six in 10 Americans who say they plan to donate to a presidential campaign say it will not affect their donations to charity, says a study by Wilson Research Strategies.

Further, nearly eight in 10 Americans say they do not plan to contribute to a presidential campaign before the November election.

Roughly one in three Democrats say they would give to a presidential campaign, compared to one in five Republicans.

And two out of three Americans say they plan to donate the same or more to charity as they did last year.

For Americans attending religious services regularly, that figure is more than seven in 10.

"This may allow ministries and religious organizations to weather these tough times better than more secular organizations," Rick Dunham, president and CEO of Dunham+Company, says in a statement.

However, nearly a quarter of Americans say they will reduce their giving in response to the economic downturn.

Dunham+Company, which provides media-management and marketing services for Christian ministries, commissioned the study.

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